Kamas Valley Business Association readies for second annual meeting

The Kamas Valley Business Association held its first annual meeting last spring. This year, Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox is set to speak.Park Record File Photo

Two years after a handful of businesses formed the Kamas Valley Business Association, the organization continues to discuss solutions to the valley’s biggest question: What will the future bring?

The current and projected growth in Kamas Valley will be a key talking point during the association’s upcoming annual meeting. Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox is set to speak, addressing the state of the economy in Utah, particularly in small, rural towns. The association also plans to present scholarships and awards to students and businesses in the community during its event, said Kristie Bair, chair of the association.

The meeting is scheduled to take place from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on April 24 at the Summit County Library Kamas Valley Branch in the community conference room. All business owners in the Kamas Valley are invited to attend.

Bair said the event is a time for businesses in the area to get together and be informed about what is going on in the community and the region at large.

I really would like us to get to know each other as business owners — that we can come together and mingle and get to know what we have to offer in the valley,”Kristie BairKamas Valley Business Association

She said the association wanted Cox to speak because of his background growing up in rural Utah.

“He kind of understands a smaller community,” she said. “We feel like he would understand us more.”

She also said the state will need to address population growth and the future of rural Utah’s economy in the coming years, and Kamas Valley businesses are interested to hear Cox’s perspective on the issues.

He is set to speak for about 40 minutes, followed by a 20-minute question-and-answer session, Bair said.

At the meeting, the association will also announce the winner of its first scholarship. It will award the scholarship to a student that has worked with a business through South Summit High School’s apprenticeship program, Bair said.

Bair said the association has placed a bigger emphasis on working with the high school to recruit students for jobs in the valley. She said finding and retaining employees is one of the biggest challenges for Kamas Valley businesses.

“We are trying to promote business and get good employees in the valley,” she said.

The association will then present the Eileen Dunn Spirit of the Community Award to Eileen Dunn, owner of Done to Your Taste Catering and co-founder of the association. Bair said Dunn was selected because of the time and work she has put back into the community. The award named in her honor will be given to businesses that contribute to the Kamas Valley in years to come.

At the beginning and end of the event, business owners will be able to network, which Bair said is one of the most important parts of its meetings. She hopes the association brings businesses together so owners can form a stronger community.

“I really would like us to get to know each other as business owners — that we can come together and mingle and get to know what we have to offer in the valley,” she said.

Bair said the association has already made a difference by connecting business owners through the group’s quarterly meetings. She said it has grown a lot in the last year.

Business owners in the Kamas Valley started the association in 2017 in order to form a collective voice and have a seat at the table as the valley faces population growth. Bair said the association wants to maintain a “good way of life” in the county.

The event is free to attend, but businesses are encouraged to register for the event by visiting kamasvalleybusiness.com.